The South Carolina College Cadets were students at South Carolina College, now known as the University of South Carolina, who formed a

militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

company A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of people, whether Natural person, natural, Legal person, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common p ...

during

antebellum Antebellum, Latin for "before war", may refer to: United States history * Antebellum South, the pre-American Civil War period in the Southern United States ** Antebellum Georgia ** Antebellum South Carolina ** Antebellum Virginia * Antebellum ar ...

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

and during the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

to fight for the

South South is one of the cardinal directions or Points of the compass, compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Pro ...

. They offered their company three times for service in the

Confederate army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

, but were denied each time by

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Pickens.

History

The company was first organized as a ceremonial unit to honor and commemorate General

Lafayette Lafayette or La Fayette may refer to: People * Lafayette (name), a list of people with the surname Lafayette or La Fayette or the given name Lafayette * House of La Fayette, a French noble family ** Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette (1757� ...

during his visit to Columbia in March 1825. Called the Lafayette Guards, they were authorized by

Richard Irvine Manning I Richard Irvine Manning I (May 1, 1789May 1, 1836) was the 50th Governor of South Carolina from 1824 to 1826 and was later a Representative in the United States Congress. Early life and career Manning was born in the Sumter District and he rec ...

and were provided with arms from the state armory. The

dress uniform Full dress uniform, also known as a ceremonial dress uniform or parade dress uniform, is the most formal type of uniforms used by military, police, fire and other public uniformed services for official parades, ceremonies, and receptions, incl ...

worn by the company was a dark grey swallowtail coat, white lafayette pants and

chapeau A chapeau is a flat-topped hat once worn by senior clerics. In heraldry In European ecclesiastical heraldry, it is used as a mark of ecclesiastical dignity, especially that of cardinals, where it is called the ''red chapeau''. It is worn over th ...

for the head dress. The cadets so distinguished themselves that the company was made a permanent organization of the college. However, the company was disbanded in 1856 when a riot between the students and the Columbia police almost descended into bloodshed. After John Brown's raid on

Harpers Ferry Harpers Ferry is a historic town in Jefferson County, West Virginia. It is located in the lower Shenandoah Valley. The population was 285 at the 2020 census. Situated at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers, where the U.S. stat ...

in 1859, the students unsuccessfully petitioned for the reorganization of the cadet company. As the secession movement picked up pace after the

election An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has opera ...

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

in the fall of 1860, the

Board of Trustees A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit organiz ...

voted to allow the students to reorganize the cadet company on December 3, 1860. They were placed under the strict supervision of the faculty and were only able to be called out for service with the approval the

college president A chancellor is a leader of a college or university, usually either the executive or ceremonial head of the university or of a university campus within a university system. In most Commonwealth and former Commonwealth nations, the chancellor is ...

. The first company organized in the spring of 1861 was composed of four

officers An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fro ...

, thirteen

non-commissioned officer A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is a military officer who has not pursued a commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority by promotion through the enlisted ranks. (Non-officers, which includes most or all enli ...

s, and ninety privates. They were trained and drilled according to '' Hardee's tactics'' by the captain of the state arsenal,

Hugh Smith Thompson Hugh Smith Thompson (January 24, 1836November 20, 1904) was the 81st governor of South Carolina, from 1882 to 1886. Career as an educator Born in Charleston, Thompson graduated from the South Carolina Military Academy (now The Citadel) in 18 ...

. On April 12 with the outbreak of hostilities at

Fort Sumter Fort Sumter is a sea fort built on an artificial island protecting Charleston, South Carolina from naval invasion. Its origin dates to the War of 1812 when the British invaded Washington by sea. It was still incomplete in 1861 when the Battl ...

, the cadet company tendered its services to Governor Pickens. He accepted the unit as part of the militia and ordered the company to hold in Columbia. The students wanted to take part in the action in

Charleston Charleston most commonly refers to: * Charleston, South Carolina * Charleston, West Virginia, the state capital * Charleston (dance) Charleston may also refer to: Places Australia * Charleston, South Australia Canada * Charleston, Newfoundlan ...

and felt that the holding order was meant to keep them away from the fight. The cadets disbanded their company and telegraphed Governor Pickens just before their train left for Charleston that they had reorganized a new company. They arrived in Charleston during the evening, received orders from General Beauregard, and spent the night at the Hibernian Hall. On the morning of April 13, the cadets boarded a tug boat bound for Sullivan's Island. While en route, Major

Anderson Anderson or Andersson may refer to: Companies * Anderson (Carriage), a company that manufactured automobiles from 1907 to 1910 * Anderson Electric, an early 20th-century electric car * Anderson Greenwood, an industrial manufacturer * Anderson Ra ...

and the Union garrison fired upon the cadets on the boat, although no one was hit. The cadets were quartered at

Fort Moultrie Fort Moultrie is a series of fortifications on Sullivan's Island, South Carolina, built to protect the city of Charleston, South Carolina. The first fort, formerly named Fort Sullivan, built of palmetto logs, inspired the flag and n ...

and their duty was to guard against a possible amphibious assault by the Union army. At the end of three weeks, the cadets received orders to return to Columbia to resume their classes. During the latter part of June, the students reformed the cadet company to volunteer for service in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. They chose the college's professor of mathematics and native of Virginia,

Charles Scott Venable Charles Scott Venable (March 19, 1827 – August 11, 1900) was a mathematician, astronomer, and military officer. In mathematics, he is noted for authoring a series of publications as a University of Virginia professor. Early life He was bo ...

, to lead the company. Nevertheless, Governor Pickens denied the students permission to join the fight in Virginia stating that "the war would be of short duration and that the Government needed statesmen more than soldiers."Green, p. 369 The governor also felt that the students would be better served if they were scattered about rather than in one compact body. The cadet company disbanded and many left the college to volunteer for service in the

Confederate Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

. The Union victory at the

Battle of Port Royal The Battle of Port Royal was one of the earliest amphibious operations of the American Civil War, in which a United States Navy fleet and United States Army expeditionary force captured Port Royal Sound, South Carolina, between Savannah, Geor ...

alarmed the students since a great number came from the

Lowcountry The Lowcountry (sometimes Low Country or just low country) is a geographic and cultural region along South Carolina's coast, including the Sea Islands. The region includes significant salt marshes and other coastal waterways, making it an import ...

. On November 8, the cadet company offered their services to Governor Pickens for coastal defense. The same day, they proceeded to Charleston before heading to Port Royal to report to General Drayton. However, once in Charleston, the students were detained by the governor to act as his bodyguard. Governor Pickens ordered the cadet company to be mustered out of service on December 10 after a lack of Union activity in South Carolina. Rather than head back to college, most of the students enlisted in the army and the college was eventually forced to close on March 8, 1862, due to lack of students.

References

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History

See also

References

See also